Blend - Holiday Outtake
by Lbug84
Summary: Katniss, Rue, Peeta and DJ all planned to spend Christmas Eve together (oh and Johanna too). But the Hawthornes crashed their party. What happens the morning after, when Katniss and Peeta make a shocking discovery? (Summary may change if more chapters are added. But for now, that's what it is.)
1. I Would Share It, But

**Hello and Happy Holidays to you all!**

**This chapter is an outtake, a telling of how Katniss and Peeta spent their first Christmas morning together. I wrote it for Prompts in Panem, which was graciously hosted by misshoneywell. My ladies, lauralulubee and MockingJayFlyingFree preread.**

**Please enjoy this outtake, set between "I Know What You're Scared Of" and "I Know You Had To." Back when Gale was still giving everyone a hard time. I know. You were probably just starting to like him, right? You're probably thinking "What? Ash and Arch don't even exist yet. Damn it, what the hell is Lbug up to?" Ehh, I thought maybe you'd like a little holiday smut. I do plan to update Blend once more before the end of the year. Story's winding down but it's not over yet. I promised you some dick-smelling didn't I? :) I did.**

**Go ahead and follow this story. If I write any more outtakes (other than the ones already planned out in the plot) I'll post them here.**

**Also, I wrote a story for the holiday fic exchange hosted by angylinn over on ao3. The stories are anonymous, so go see if you can guess which one is mine. If you're swamped and can't get to it before the holidays, no worries. Authors will be revealed in January, then I'll post the story here too.**

**Hope you all have safe travels, quality time with family, and full bellies this holiday season.**

**-I don't own the hunger games or any of the characters. I just helped them grow up a bit.-**

* * *

_"I got my drink, I got my music. I would share it, but..."_

It's snowing.

No one's ever really prepared for the snow in Virginia, although we should be. It happens often enough. But just the same, my two-car garage is full, and so is my driveway. We'll get two inches tonight. Every surface available for sleeping in the house has been claimed. Rue and Posy bunk together in Rue's room. Prim and Hazelle sleep on air mattresses in the study. Peeta and DJ take the spare bedroom. Rory and Gale take the couch - good thing it pulls out. Lastly, Johanna's curled up on what used to be Gale's side of the bed. I've since changed the mattress, but the bed frame is the same. I reach over my head and feel for the headboard. Gale spent many nights leaned up against it. Towards the end of our marriage, he'd pretend to read, while I pretended not to be sexually frustrated. I don't miss those days.

The sun is rising. It's Christmas.

I roll away from Johanna, careful not to disturb her sleep. She's usually an early riser, but holidays are particularly difficult for her. I want her to sleep as much as she can right now.

I shake my head as I recall the evening. Hazelle ran over my mailbox, and from then on it's just been an evening of Hawthorne craziness. We had a wonderful holiday, even with Gale's occasional pouting. We loudly played holiday music, and Peeta and I danced in the living room. It wasn't long before Prim and Rory joined us, while Hazelle drunkenly tried to "goad" us all into a game of truth or dare. That had "pig fuck" written all over it, so we turned up the music and danced some more. The girls played chutes and ladders and enjoyed hot chocolate while watching Charlie Brown. And I spent nearly the entire night with a wine glass in my hand. I must've had 5 glasses. Christ. That's a whole bottle. I should've shared. No wonder I gotta pee.

As soon as I slide out of bed, I feel the chill that the night air has brought us. Since I slept in only a tank and flannel pajama bottoms, I yank my favorite pink "old lady" robe from behind the bedroom door and make my way into the hallway. I move quietly, carefully avoiding the creaky floorboards.

I hear the toilet flush in the bathroom and immediately suspect it's the baker. Who else would be up this early? I knock lightly on the door. It opens a moment later.

"Morning." He smiles.

"Baker, I thought it was you in here. How'd you sleep?" I take off the old lady robe immediately and hang it on the back of the door.

"Good. Curled up with my girl."

I move around him. He leans against the counter while I walk over to the sink and look at myself in the mirror. Ugh. I need some Tylenol and a gallon of water to fight the hangover look I'm sporting.

"You trying to make me jealous?" I tease.

"Maybe a little."

"DJ sleep okay?"

"Yeah, you already know she sleeps like the dead."

"So do you." I stretch my arms above my head and my gaze drifts to the toilet. "Are we at that point in the relationship yet where I can piss out a bottle of wine in front of you and not be judged?"

Peeta laughs."John's all yours, woman. I'm glad I got here first."

I sit down on the toilet and smile at him as I relieve myself.

"Do me a favor?" I ask. "Get me some Tylenol? It's under the sink."

"Sure," he says as he leans down. "I don't suppose you've got a spare toothbrush in here?"

"Mmhmmm," I yawn. "Get me one too. Jo's sleeping in my room. Didn't want to use the bathroom in there and wake her."

He nods as he opens the cupboard. "What's this?" He reaches for something inside the cupboard and retrieves a red gift bag. Odd. We opened all the presents yesterday. Why would there be one left? And under the bathroom sink, of all places?

Peeta reads the tag aloud. "To Brainless and Blondie. For the long winter nights you'll have to spend apart."

I raise my eyebrows. Johanna knows about out arrangement. She knows that because of Gale, Peeta doesn't stay over. Last night being the obvious exception, due to weather concerns. But he didn't even sleep in my bed. He slept in the spare room with his daughter. And Gale is in the house too, so he can't really say anything. And if he does, at least I've got Prim, Rory, and even Hazelle here to help him see reason.

"What is it?" I ask as I stand and pull up my underwear.

"I don't know. Should we open it?" Peeta swings the bag by the handles.

It's a present, and it's Christmas morning. There's a 5 year old inside of me that says "Hell yeah! Open it." But then I think about the timing and placement of this gift. Jo's up to something.

I squat down next to Peeta and find the Tylenol, swallowing two pills dry, before offering Peeta the bottle. He accepts. He sets the gift down on the counter and uses water from the sink to wash down his pills.

We brush our teeth together. We smile at each other when our eyes meet in the mirror, but more than once I catch Peeta's gaze drifting over to the obnoxious red bag on the counter.

"Curiosity killed the cat," I tell him as I reach for the mouthwash.

"You're not curious?"

I spit out a mouthful of listerine. "I didn't say that."

I hop onto the counter and pull the bag into my lap. I widen my legs as Peeta steps between them. We both peer into the bag.

"It can't be anything good," I muse.

"Yeah, I reckon she's up to something." He reaches into the bag and pulls out... a wrapped box.

"Damn it," I complain. Jo's messing with us.

"She knows the girls are in and out of this bathroom. Patience, woman," he leans in and kisses my lips once. "Mmm, minty," he comments as he tears into the package.

I watch Peeta's eyes dart back and forth as he accidentally mouths the words "your own." He reads it twice.

"Your own what?"

"Huh?" He says looking up into my eyes.

"You mouth words while you read."

"I do?"

"Mmhmmm. So tell me what it is." I lean over and pull his hands towards me so I can read the box.

_Make Your Own Dildo Kit_

My eyebrows shoot up and I look at Peeta. His smile is as big as I've ever seen.

"We're doing this right now, huh?" Peeta nods.

I get to work reading the instructions on the back of the box while Peeta takes out all of the pieces.

"We gotta make the mold first." I pull an old plastic bowl from beneath the sink. It was under here catching a leak in the sink that Gale never got around to fixing. But Peeta did it last week.

"This is a two-person job," he explains.

"Here. You mix. I'll get the model ready," I say handing him the bowl and then dropping to my knees.

Peeta's only wearing his boxer briefs. He didn't expect to stay over. And that's good news for me. It's easy enough to tug them down over his hips. He's already getting hard for me. I look up at him with a smirk.

"What do you expect, woman? Look how close your mouth is to me."

I smile as I take him in my hands and stroke him slowly.

"Mix it hard," I tell him as I lean forward and lick around the head of his shaft. "We gotta get that cement into the tube and then you in there with it inside of two minutes."

"Keep doing that," he groans. He mixes the contents of the bowl in time with my strokes.

I happily oblige. I lean forward taking him fully into my mouth. He moves his hips, trying to get deeper into me. He wants me to deep throat him. But, his hands are busy. He can't hold me in place like he usually does. So I take the opportunity to explore. I drag the flat of my tongue along the underside of him and flick my tongue against the very tip of him. He's salty and sweet and I want more of him.

"Fuck... One minute...40 seconds," he groans.

I pull my lips away. But not before giving the tip one last kiss. Peeta pours the cement solution into the tube provided and I take it from his hands.

"Ready?" I ask. He nods and I guide his hardness into it, sheathing him with the cement.

"I'm touching the side," he says. "Your aim is terrible."

I scoff. "You couldn't hit the broadside of a barn, baker." I adjust him, which would be easier if he'd stop laughing me. "Better?"

"Yeah, but it's cold. I'm gonna get soft."

"I can help with that," I smile. I take his hand, replacing mine on the tube. "Hold this still." I pull my underwear off. I hop onto the counter and I spread my legs for him.

"Fuck," he mutters and I smile proudly.

I press two fingers into my center, coating them with the wetness that's gathered there from going down on him. "Mmm," I moan quietly. He watches with wide eyes as I pump my fingers slowly in and out.

"You like watching me?" I ask.

"Yeah. You're so damn beautiful."

"Have I told you how much I love your hands? They feel so good on me."

"I'm gonna fuck you as soon as I get this thing off."

"Maybe," I tease.

"Maybe?"

"Well, I'm guessing you're really hard right now." I withdraw my fingers and bring them to my mouth. If he wasn't really hard before, I can pretty much guarantee he is now. "But if you want that thing off, you'll have to get softer."

"What!?" Peeta looks down. He gives the tube a tug, but it's stuck. "Fuck!"

I laugh, much louder than I should given all the people sleeping up here. "Told you, baker!" I press my fingers back into my center. "It ain't exactly rocket science."

He looks away from me. "Stop doing that."

"Why?" I move my fingers faster. He can hear how wet I can.

He take a deep, long breath. "I need to calm down."

"Oh, I thought you were gonna fuck me?" I pout.

"Seriously, Katniss. It's stuck. I have to get this thing off."

I withdraw my fingers and hop off the counter. "Oh all right. Let me see."

Peeta's turns to face me and I try not to laugh at the red tube covering his cock. "Alright," I repeat as I extend my hands and try to see what's going on. Peeta pushes my hands away. "What's wrong?"

"I can smell you... Fuck!"

I sniff my hand. Yeah. My fingers smell like Peeta's favorite scent. My desire, mixed with his sweat.

"Should I leave?"

"No. Just give me a minute. And don't look at me."

I cover my smile with my hand as I turn away. I don't say anything.

"Cloris Leachman... Jocelyn Wildenstein..." Peeta mutters.

"What are you doing?"

"Shh! I'm thinking unsexy thoughts. Don't say anything right now, all right?"

Again I cover my mouth with my hand to stifle a laugh. A minute later Peeta sighs. "All right. It's getting looser I think." I don't answer. I don't even move until I hear the sound of the tube being placed onto he counter. I feel Peeta move behind me. He wraps his arms around me, hugging me by my shoulders.

"Well... That was awkward."

"I'll say. Cloris Leachman used to be a hottie. She was on the Mary Tyler Moore Show."

"Never seen it."

"Clearly." I spin around in his arms. I kiss him once. "That has to dry." I kiss him again. "How will we pass the time?"

"After all that work calming down, you're getting me riled up again."

I reach around him and grab a washcloth hanging in the shower. I lean over him as I run hot water over it and wring it out. I kiss his lips once more before kneeling in front of him. He's already hard as I wash the residual cement from his skin and sac.

"There's enough left for a second one," I tease.

"Hell no. I do want an imprint of your pussy though."

"I think thats a separate kit, and rightly so. Where would you keep something like that, anyway?" I challenge.

"I'd keep it safe. Id-Mmm..." His words fade to moans as I take him in my mouth. His hands find my hair and this time, he holds me in place as he thrusts into me. I take a deep breath and relax my throat, allowing him deeper. It's a challenge not to gag when he reaches the back of my throat, but I manage not to, though my eyes do water. I look up at Peeta. I watch his stomach muscles contract and the sweat spread across his skin. His eyes are closed and when he drops his head back, he moans, "Fuck."

He pulls out of my mouth sooner than I expected him to and he helps me stand. His gaze is on my lips, as he walks me two steps backwards and lifts me onto the counter.

"Like I said," he says as he pushes my knees apart. "I'm gonna fuck you." He's inside of me with one swift motion.

"Ohhh," I sigh as he fills me. I feel his hand move to my lower back and his fingertips press against me as he pulls me to the edge of the counter. He moves his hips quickly, fucking me with hard and fast thrusts. I wrap my left leg around him while my right foot searches for something anything that will give me leverage. I find the toilet, kicking the lid shut and cursing at the loud sound.

"You're always making trouble," he smiles as his lips find mine.

He kisses me deeply, passionately. The familiar taste of cinnamon buns and moonshine clouds my vision. Everything is blurred except the man inside of me.

"You obviously need some help," I tease.

"Do I?" His head dips and he sucks my right nipple into his mouth. Its barely a second before I feel his fingertips rub against my clit. Reflexively, I lift my foot from the toilet and wrap it around him. I pull him closer, as the feeling of being filled and stimulated by the baker creates perfect pressure inside of me.

"Peeta," I moan. "Just like that."

My hands grip the counter tightly as Peeta's thrusts seem to get harder. I frown in pleasure with the impact of each one. And then I'm speaking, but I'm not sure what I'm saying.

"Yes...hard...HARD!" I cry. He's so deep inside of me. My eyes are shut tight and I open my mouth. I extend my tongue, flicking it up, seeking more sensation from him. He doesn't disappoint. I feel his warm, nimble tongue move against mine. He slides it into my mouth and then our lips meet. It all feels so good.

So fucking good.

"I'm close," I pant against his lips. All he has to do is keep at what he's doing. I'll fall. I'll cum. I'll- "Pah! Pah! Peeta! Oh god, Peeta!" I moan as I reach my high.

The pressure snaps inside of me and I feel Peeta's skin slide more freely against mine with the gush of my release. Peeta's movements change too. He thrusts erratically, moving his hips desperately as he approaches his own peak. When he finally cums inside of me, my breath hitches. I feel the spurts of his release deep in my core. My eyes roll back in my head as sensation takes over.

Peeta's forehead is pressed against mine as we both pant heavily. He's still inside of me. He doesn't seem eager to move.

"Well," I begin. "That's one way...to start Christmas."

Peeta chuckles and kisses my lips.

"Merry Christmas, woman. I love you."

"I love you too."

He smiles and then he slowly, reluctantly pulling out of me. He's still hard. His cock stands at attention, covered with my juices. He looks around for his underwear, grimacing just slightly as he pulls the boxer brief over his hips. I get dressed too.

"Think it's dry?" I ask as I stand next to him.

"Yeah. Let's finish this up. Someone's bound to have heard you scream."

Our children, my sister, my best friend and my ex-mother-in-law are all within ear shot.

"You shouldn't have made me cum so hard," I say as I poke Peeta in the side.

"Well at my place you're a lot quieter than that."

"No, I'm not," I admit. "The acoustics in this room mock me."

"Whatever professor. Don't blame me." He pours the rubber solution into the mold. "I assume you want this thing to vibrate?"

"You assume correctly. If I can't have you, I want this thing to make me cum just as hard."

"So you're gonna use it then?" He wiggles his eyebrows at me.

"Depends on how it comes out."

"You gonna let me fuck you with it?"

"We'll see, baker."

I take the full tube off the counter. "I'll let this dry in my bathroom. Can you make that box disappear?" I point to the box all this paraphernalia came in.

"Alright. Then I'll put some pants on. Maybe I'll start breakfast."

"I'll meet you down there." He kisses me on the lips, then the neck and I sigh.

I walk slowly back to my room, hoping that none of the doors up here open. Exactly how would I explain what I'm carrying? Fortune smiles on me and I make it back to my room, and find Johanna sitting up against the headboard, fiddling with her phone.

"You got a charger for-" she looks up. "Holy shit! You found it!"

"Yeah."

"No wonder y'all were making all that noise."

"Shit," I curse as I make my way to the bathroom.

"Did you make two? The box says you can make two!"

"No." I set the tube full of cement and drying rubber onto a high shelf.

"Aw, c'mon! Share."

"Hell no!" I say as I step back into the bedroom. I lean over the bed and kiss Johanna on the forehead. "Thanks though. Great present."

"Whatever. Where are you going?"

"Making breakfast," I say as I shut the door behind me.

I step into the kitchen and help Peeta prepare a mountain of food. We exhaust my pantry. Two dozen eggs are scrambled and two packages of bacon are fried before Gale and Rory stir in the living room.

DJ comes downstairs, wearing the new sweater I got her. Peeta disapproves of course, because it's form fitting. But he's holding his tongue.

"Morning, Dad, Kat."

"Morning baby girl," Peeta smiles at her.

"Morning Mr. Gale., Mr. Rory."

"Good morning, DJ," Gale greets her. "You and your father enjoy the guest room?" Gale's eyes cut over to me. I feel Peeta stiffen beside me.

"We all slept where we said we would. And everyone slept well," I respond. "Right?"

"Right," DJ says.

"Leave it out," Rory says. "You're a bit of a merry old soul this morning, yeah? Relax. It's Christmas!" Rory spares me a small smile.

Gale rolls his eyes and walks away. "I'll be in here, love," he calls to me over his shoulder. He makes himself useful and sets the table.

"Mommy?" Peeta's startled by Rue's 'sudden' presence. I sigh. He's got to get used to how quietly we move.

"Yes, baby?"

"I found a gift bag in the bathroom."

Shit.

I glance over to Peeta. Then back to Rue. She's holding it up, and thank The Lord it's empty.

"Can I save it for next year?"

"Sure, baby." I relax. "Sure."

Soon everyone is downstairs, sharing Christmas breakfast. I exchange knowing smiles with Peeta and Johanna. Only they know what's waiting for me upstairs.

* * *

Once again, Happy Holidays!


	2. Resolution

This is simple enough. An end of the year roadtrip with the Mellarks. Ash and Arch are a little over two in this drabble, Rue is nine, and DJ is fifteen.

* * *

_"My New Year's resolution is to stop all the pollution."_

These trails are unfamiliar.

Archer sits in front of me, sharing my saddle as we make our way through the strange forest. I look down and tug at the dirty blonde hairs that are beginning to curl at his temples. It's definitely time to lower his ears again. Rue is right behind me, holding tightly onto Asher, who's also due for a cut. DJ is beside them, still pouting that she doesn't get to ride with one of the boys. But even Peeta, who's bringing up the rear, knows that Rue is the safer rider, despite her only being nine years old.

It's a cool December day, and it's certainly warmer here than it would be in Charlottesville. But for a place called the sunshine state, there's a whole lot of sunshine left to be desired.

"It's really nice here," Rue says.

Ash points to a blue colored bird flying overhead and says "Bah-Burd."

"It sure is," I agree. I lean over and pat Sally's neck. Archer laughs as he tries to copy my motions. "I see why you never put up a fight when you come here," I tell Sally.

I turn around and smile softly at Peeta. This entire road trip came to be because of him.

_He'd been ordering supplies for the bakery online or by phone for two years. After the fire it didn't seem to bother his associates much. And they knew we had little ones to tend to. But after Peeta declined invitations to events throughout the year and holiday parties two years in a row, the questions started coming in. In the interest of preserving the good Mellark name, we decided it was best he show his face at a few places._

_But he refused. He wouldn't make that same ominous drive his parents once did and risk leaving us without him. I argued that's why he chose the cars we have. And that we could make a road trip out of it, and take the kids down to ride at Sae's winter stables. Peeta reluctantly agreed, once I tossed around the idea of Disneyworld. And for a while there, he even seemed fine with it. But I would soon learn that the baker is a superstitious man._

_We climbed into the Land Rover. I glanced over my shoulder as DJ and Rue helped the boys into their car seats. The girls settled in the third row and I turned my attention to Peeta. He pulled something gray and fuzzy out of his pocket and hung it up on the rearview mirror._

_"What is that?" I asked him._

_"Oh... It's a rabbit's foot."_

_"A rabbit's foot?"_

_"That's right."_

_"What's it for?"_

_He adjusted it, making sure it was secure in its place. "You know..."_

_"For luck?" I asked cautiously._

_His eyes met mine. "No, Katniss. Not for luck."_

_Realization dawned on me. "That's a graveyard rabbit's foot?" I demanded as I pointed at the offending object._

_It's an old Appalachian superstition. The left hind foot of a grey graveyard rabbit keeps spirits away. And Peeta was about to drive down a road be believes to be haunted. _

_Peeta answered me, speaking slowly. "Well... Yeah."_

_"What. The. Fuck?"_

_"Shhh, woman, those boys are repeating everything they hear now."_

_"You telling me you believe those old witch's tales?" Peeta shrugged. "And that you caught and killed a rabbit?"_

_"Well, I-"_

_"Get it the hell out of here," I said quietly._

_"Come on, just leave it. It makes me feel better. And I caught him years ago, after my parents' funeral."_

_I shook my head and turned away. "I can't believe you."_

_He sighed. "Look, I'll put it away after we pass Lynchburg, all right?"_

_I stared out of the window and didn't respond. He started the car._

"You having a good time?" I ask.

Peeta nods. "Yes ma'am. How much longer is the trail?"

"Another mile or so," I say.

"Shame. There are four other trails here we didn't ride yet."

I turn to DJ. "Can you watch you brothers and sister if your dad and I go for a ride on one of the other trails?"

"She doesn't have to watch me," Rue complains.

DJ nods and finally smiles, grateful to be "in charge" for a while.

We round a clearing and the stables come into view. I see the glint in Rue's eye. She tempted to canter. But she's riding with her brother. So we keep the pace, a steady walk, as we approach Ms. Sae.

She pulls an old set of wooden steps up next to Rue's horse and helps the children down.

Peeta hops off of his horse, hands me the reigns and takes Archer off of my saddle.

"Y'all have a good time out there?" Sae asks.

"Yeah!" Rue beams, hopping down.

"It's different than the stables back home," DJ observes.

Peeta helps DJ usher her horse back to his stall.

"Different how?" Sae asks. DJ stops. "Mind the tween spaces."

"Oh, right." DJ apologizes as she takes a few more steps and allows Peeta and her horse to pass. "It's pretty. And the trails are nice and long. But, it feels kind of sad here in a way."

Sae nods her head at DJ, then unclasps her helmet for her. She brushes DJ's curls back and smiles sadly. "You're an old soul, to pick up on such a thing."

Peering into that stall, I see Peeta take the rabbit's foot out of his pocket. He hangs it up outside one of the stalls, then nods once at Sae. She smiles gratefully.

"Come on, baker," I complain.

"Sae, were gonna try out trail H, all right?" Peeta asks.

"Oh, you'll love it. Goes right around the lake." Sae says.

"Great. Keep an eye on the kids?" I ask.

"Of course," she says. She offers to pick up Ash, but he snuggles against DJ's leg.

DJ picks him up and kisses his chubby cheek. "Can we show them where you keep the pigs?" she asks.

Rue is standing beside her, holding Arch by the hand as he digs his right foot into the dirt.

"Sure," Sae says, as she turns away and motions for them to follow her.

"DJ, change the boys before we get back," I call out. She nods and waves.

As soon as we reach the clearing, I give Sally's side a light kick. "Race you," I challenge Peeta. Sally responds, taking off into the clearing and galloping full speed as I hold on tightly to her with my thighs, I hear the clip-clop and heavy breath of Peeta behind us and as we approach the trail, I slow Sally down to a canter and let him catch up.

"Cheater," Peeta complains as he sidles up beside me.

I smile at him. "You gotta be quicker than that."

The trail is long, and the low afternoon sun reflecting off the water of the lake creates an orange glow around us. Peeta himself seems to be made of sunshine as his golden hair catches the sunlight just right. He smiles at me, and I feel like I did so long ago, when first his smile made my heart race.

"Let's stop right here," I say.

I don't give him a chance to agree. I tug on the reigns, and Sally stops. Then I swing my leg over her and drop down to the ground. I take off my shoes and roll up my jeans. Then, I lead her close to the lake and remove the bit from her mouth. She neighs gratefully and takes a few steps into the water before lowering her head and drinking. I hear the splashing of Peeta's footsteps as he leads Maxwell, the horse he's riding, to do the same.

"So it's true. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink," Peeta muses as he tugs on the bit, encouraging Maxwell's head down. He's standing right in front of the horse.

"Baker, who'd want to drink water you're standing right in like that. Step to his side." Peeta turns beet red as he follows my directions. "Now undo the bit." Again, Peeta listens. Maxwell immediately drops his head and drinks. Peeta smiles at me in gratitude.

I look out at the water again. I'm lost in thought for a moment. But only for a moment, as Sally nudges me, breaking from my trance. I lead her away from the water and tie her reigns to the branch of an apple tree and let her have her fill. I snatch a fruit for myself and take a seat on the grass. A moment later, Peeta joins me.

"I still have so much to learn from you, professor."

I smile and offer him a bite of my apple. He accepts, and nods his approval of the taste.

"You gave Sae the rabbit's foot."

Peeta nods. "Something tells me she needed it more than I do."

"I want to show you something," I tell him. I pull out my change purse and produce something small, old, and dulled silver in color. I hand it to him.

"What is this?" He examines the item.

"It's my daddy's Silver Star. He earned it, saving three men in the first Gulf War. It's the last thing I have of his."

"What happened to everything else?"

I take a deep breath. "Daddy's from the mountains, which you already know. Same as you and your kin. But mama? She's from gypsies. After the men came with daddy's flag, she went into the backyard and set it on fire. Said his sprit was gonna come back and there'd best be nothing left of his for it to claim. So she told me and Prim gather up all his clothes and knickknacks and toss it in to burn. You seen the scar on Prim's forearm?" Peeta nods. "She got that dropping daddy's journal onto the fire. By the end of the night it was so big and so smoky, you could see it three blocks over. The fire department came and put it out. And cus of Prim's burn, we were assigned a CASA worker. With mama's broken heart and slipping mind they wanted to send us to live with our Aunt Effie. But I turned 18 before that could happen, Thank the Lord."

"You never told me..." Peeta begins. "We've been married nearly three years, and you never told me."

I shrug a shoulder. "I'm telling you now. Cus now I know you'll understand." Peeta looks at me, his brow knit together in confusion. "Daddy's traditions would've had me chasing a bunny around a graveyard like an imbecile." My eyes go wide and I look at him. "Sorry."

"It's fine. I'm sure I looked a fool chasing it around." Peeta chuckles.

"I chose to go with mama's traditions, especially since she kind of forced it on us. I chose to keep one thing to remind me of my daddy." I point to the medal he's holding. "And I also choose to celebrate his life, not just mourn his death."

Peeta smiles sadly. "That's good advice."

"I thought so... Would you to hang on to it for me?"

"Oh, Katniss I couldn't."

"Yes you can. You gave away your token. I want you to have mine."

His hand closes around it. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Healing a part of my heart." He pulls out his wallet and tucks the medal away, just under a photo of us.

I blush. "Baker, I didn't-"

My words are halted as Peeta leans in and claims my lips in a kiss. He hand snakes around my waist as he scoots me closer across the grass.

"I love you, woman."

"I love you too."

The sun is setting as we approach the stables and Peeta and I square away the horses in no time.

Sae convinces us to stay for s'mores. She leads us behind the biggest stable to a fire pit. Peeta helps her stoke the fire.

I sit on the ground with my legs crossed, a toddler on either side of me, both exhausted from the ride. DJ and Rue are on the other side of the fire, giggling up a storm and whispering secrets.

Sweaty and smelling like sweat, Peeta claims a seat in the grass and Arch climbs into his lap.

DJ and Rue roast marshmallows and Sae shows them how to make banana boats, my favorite campfire snack. We don't have any spoons, so I devour the sticky mess like I would any other banana, with napkins on my lap to keep the mess in check. Peeta calls me classy.

"Oooh," Arch says, as Sae uses the campfire to light a sparkler.

He reaches for the sparkler and Sae obliges, allowing him to hold it. "Happy New Year," she says, as she lights another one and hands it to Ash.

It's a beautiful and serene moment, and Peeta thinks quickly, stuffing his s'more into his face and pulling out his phone. He catches a snapshot of the boys, their smiling faces illuminated by the fire, both with sparklers in hand. He shows me the photo. It's an instant classic.

But ten seconds later I hear a yelp, and then another as the spark reaches the boys' hands. They drop them to the ground and Peeta promptly stomps them out. The boys cry, but a minute later, they're both asking for another sparkler. DJ and Rue rolls their eyes.

So this is it. How we spend our New Year's Eve. At Sae's winter stables, together, eating s'mores and burning sparklers by a campfire, my daddy's war medal safely nestled in Peeta's wallet. And I've never been happier.

* * *

So, my internet research tells me that "gypsy" is not an offensive term, unless it is used to mean "thief." If this is incorrect, please let me know. Thanks!


End file.
